Liberty Beat Fever 109-102 as Stewart, Fiebich Combine for 42 in Playoff Race

Q: After nearly erasing a massive deficit, what critical flaw in the final seconds cost the Indiana Fever their spectacular comeback?

Indiana’s comeback was undone by poor late-game execution, most notably a missed scoring chance from Caitlin Clark and failure to convert at the free-throw line. After rallying from a sizable deficit and tying the game at 100 on Kelsey Mitchell’s 3-pointer, the Fever had chances to seize control but could not finish possessions when it mattered most. With New York up 103-100 in the final minute, Clark drove to the basket but missed a running layup, and Leonie Fiebich secured the rebound. That miss effectively killed Indiana’s best chance to answer immediately. The broader problem was inefficiency in key moments. Supplemental reporting noted Indiana shot just 11-for-22 from the foul line, a major weakness in a game decided by seven points. In a tight finish where New York steadily added points at the stripe, Indiana’s inability to capitalize on free throws and its final empty possessions proved decisive. So while the Fever nearly completed the comeback, the critical flaw was their failure to execute offensively in the closing seconds — especially Clark’s missed layup, compounded by poor free-throw shooting overall.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 23

New York improved to 23-15 by pulling away late from a 100-100 tie, with Breanna Stewart scoring 22 points and Leonie Fiebich adding 20 in her first game since July 3.
Fiebich’s three-point play with 57.5 seconds left and Marine Johannes Astier’s two free throws inside 30 seconds sealed the 109-102 win after Indiana had tied it on Kelsey Mitchell’s 3-pointer.
Jonquel Jones added 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Liberty finally had their full lineup healthy again; Jones returned from an ankle issue and Fiebich from a foot injury.
Indiana got 25 points from Mitchell, 22 from Aliyah Boston and 21 from Caitlin Clark, but dropped a key game while navigating five road games in eight days.
Playoff positioning sharpened the stakes with the standings tight from third through eighth, while rallies outside Barclays Center reflected continuing fallout from Sophie Cunningham’s comments on trans athletes.